I never thought I’d find a trailer to write about for one of these.
Well, guess that makes me a liar because sure enough, yesterday’s State of Play has given me something to write about.
I’ve been a Digimon fan since I was a kid. I loved Pokémon and Digimon equally, but Digimon always had a special place in my heart because people constantly pitted both against one another when they’re both good for different reasons. I also always liked that you could talk to your Digimon since they don’t just say their name, and you were never stuck with a specific evolution since Digimon have the ability to de-digivolve.
That’s why when GameStop accidentally leaked Digimon Story Time Stranger yesterday, I was already hyped. There was no way that the trailer wasn’t going to be at today’s State of Play.
Since I’m writing this, it should be no surprise the trailer for Digimon Story Time Stranger did drop. So of course I want to react to it.
The most noticeable thing right away was the Digimon models. They’ve been upgraded. Granted, this shouldn’t be a surprise, since the last Digimon Story game was Hacker’s Memory in 2017. It released for both the PS4 and the PS Vita. Since it had to play on both consoles, the models wouldn’t be as high quality. To be fair, that was never an issue for me because the Digimon Story games are stylized as it is. But it makes sense the models would be improved or updated entirely with this coming to next gen consoles.
Seeing them now makes me eager to see what the other Digimon will look like too.
Bouncing off from that, I’m also looking forward to seeing what the roster for this game will be. Cyber Sleuth had 249, while Hacker’s Memory had 341. I’m hoping we see more than what Hacker’s Memory had, as well as some new Digimon who weren’t included in either games. Digimon is a monster-taming game, after all. Who wouldn’t want more Digimon to tame? Plus, it just makes the whole process of digivolving and de-digivolving to improve your stats or to get new Digimon exciting, since you now have more options than before.
I’m very excited to meet the new characters in the game. The main characters’ designs are interesting, and I love the icy teal colour scheme they both got going on. I’m hoping we’ll also see some familiar faces. In the description, it’s mentioned you’ll travel between worlds. Mirei, who manages the Digi Lab in both Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory, can travel between worlds too as she no longer has a physical body. It makes sense she could reappear in Time Stranger. Fingers crossed she does!
Speaking of travelling between worlds, the thing I am most excited about with Digimon Story Time Stranger is where it will be partially taking place. For both Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory, the story took place mainly in cyberspace when it wasn’t happening in the real world. There wasn’t a lot of time spent in the Digital World in either game. I grew up on the anime, which heavily featured the Digital World. I’ve also played numerous Digimon games where you’re in the Digital World. So, when I finally played Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory, I was a little disappointed they didn’t take place in the Digital World. The more recent Digimon games that do take place there, like Digimon Survive or Digimon World: Next Order, just don’t scratch the same itch as Digimon Story games do. Digimon Survive was more of a visual novel with tactical roleplay game mechanics and Digimon World: Next Order mimics the mechanics of V-Pets, where you raise your Digimon, work on them, build up their stats, if you fail at raising them, or they get to a certain age, they’ll die. The mechanics in Digimon Story games differ as, while you do have to focus on building up their stats to get new Digimon, Digimon do not die nor can you fail at raising them. I’ve always preferred these mechanics to those in Digimon World games. To put it bluntly, it really sucks raising up a badass Digimon only for it to get sick and die. I only played the Digimon World games, since they take place in the Digital World (and I support anything Digimon).
But now, with Time Stranger, we’re finally going to be in the Digital World! So now I get the best of both worlds: mechanics I enjoy with a location I’ve wanted to explore more. They’ve also mentioned you’ll be able to use your Digimon partners as mounts, so I’m looking forward to whatever that entails.
I was blown away by how good the locations they showed off of the Digital World looked. I loved the shot of Vikemon at the top of a ramp that looks like it’s underwater, as well as the shot of the main character on top of Garurumon, running through water. There was a quick shot of a forest as well, but not too much to go on right now.
We also have new starters with this Digimon Story game. In Cyber Sleuth, we had Terriermon, Hagurumon, and Palmon. In Hacker’s Memory, we had Betamon, Tentomon, and Gotsumon. In Time Stranger, we have Gomamon, DemiDevimon, and Patamon. DemiDevimon is an interesting choice, considering they’re considered a baddie (and the opposite of Patamon). I’m not sure who I’ll end up choosing, but it doesn’t really matter because you’ll end up getting them all.
They didn’t mention too much about combat in this trailer, but the description mentions turn based combat is back. I’m looking forward to seeing whatever new elements are brought, as I’m sure there will be some!
I am looking forward to learning more about Digimon Story Time Stranger, and cannot wait for its release sometime in 2025, on both PS5 and Steam!
GCReaction
This trailer is getting a mind blown reaction from me due to my utter excitement for this game. While the game did leak prior to the State of Play, it didn’t diminish it. Only the name leaked, not the trailer. Watching it, not being 100% sure if this was it, only to see the distinct Digimon eye style peering out from the broken wall, I screamed. It’s been so long since we’ve had a Digimon Story game, and it’s even releasing in 2025. I cannot wait to learn more about this game and most importantly, for when it releases because I’m so ready to go to the Digital World.
